The Times’ report card does not focus on livability and transportation, but mentions them only in passing. Early on, the article states “[Garcetti’s] vision of Los Angeles as a more livable, transit-oriented, environmentally- and technologically-friendly city” and then barely mentions transportation and livability. The Times only touches on a lack of funding for resurfacing streets and fixing sidewalks, and credits Garcetti for negotiating the under-construction Metro Crenshaw Line connection to LAX.

Safety: B-
Garcetti’s appointment of his LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds has brought a new safety focus to Los Angeles. Reynolds made Vision Zero an LADOT priority, leading to its adoption in Mobility Plan 2035, and maybe someday it will reach the streets of Los Angeles.

Planning: B
Mayor Garcetti inherited Mobility Plan 2035 already underway. The mayor gave it some heft, including Vision Zero, and got it approved. Largely, though, even under the new Mobility Plan, parking and cars remain too enmeshed in the Department of City Planning’s core functions, at the expense of fostering great places. If there’s any kind of shake-up at Planning, could DCP’s Seleta Reynolds be on the horizon?

Transit: B+

SBLA commends the mayor for bringing Phil Washington to Metro, securing federal funds for rail expansion, connecting to LAX, and supporting expanded Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and affordable housing in Transit-Oriented Development (TOD.) Garcetti’s Metro board appointees, Dupont-Walker and L.A. City Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Paul Krekorian have played constructive roles there. A bit more commitment to keeping fares low and improving bus systems (neither is easy) would have earned an A.

Walking: D+
The tab for sidewalk repair continues to mount, letting Angelenos on foot know that we are, at best, an afterthought. The Mayor should do better on LAPD pedestrian stings. Seleta Reynolds, People St, and Pedestrian Enhanced Districts (PEDs) in the Mobility Plan lifted what was nearly a failing grade.

Bicycling: C+

The pace of bike facility implementation is slowing, especially on critical and significant streets and bridges. Bike-share, CicLAvias, and protected bike lanes are commendable, and should be expanded.

Overall: B-

The mayor failed to entirely turn around a car-focused city in his first two years. No surprise there. Many Garcetti actions show great promise for L.A.’s future, but the mayor appears to have mostly spent time setting the table and now needs to follow through and serve a healthy meal. And some dessert.

Lastly, it is worth noting that some of these mid-term grades can rise (or fall) dramatically when we look at an entire term in office. At this point in Mayor Villaraigosa’s term, he would have gotten high marks for talking the talk and pushing back against fare hikes and that’s about all. Probably some F’s and D’s otherwise. Remember LADOT General Managers Gloria Jeff’s and Rita Robinson’s livability leadership? No, we don’t either. By the end of Villaraigosa’s tenure, with Measure R, Expo Phase 1, the 2010 Bike Plan including its implementation directive, and CicLAvia, Villaraigosa probably achieved in the B+, A- range. So we don’t present this report card as final pronouncement, but as work very much in progress.

What do you think, readers? How would you grade Mayor Garcetti’s first two years on the job?

I give him a C. At the moment, I’m supremely disappointed by his silence on important issues where a push from the mayor would help shape opinion and define city priorities. “Reynolds made Vision Zero an LADOT priority.” She forgot to inform the rest of LADOT. Wasn’t an LADOT spokesperson quoted saying something like Vision Zero isn’t applicable to the Hyperion Bridge redesign?

Ted Rogers

I’m not sure what grade I’d give Garcetti. He’s done good things at the high level, like appointing Seleta Reynolds and sponsoring Vision Zero. But like 69fasty, I’m very disappointed at his lack of involvement at the street level, where a push from the mayor could make a real difference on Westwood, North Fig and Hyperion. I’ve been a Garcetti fan since he was a backbench councilmember, but I feel he’s let us all down with his silence.

Corey Kaufman

Installing Seleta Reynolds was the pony show. He hasnt done shit to back her up with any backbone whatsoever. Give me Hummer driving Jaime De La Vega back and a mayor who has the balls to do things right. Mayor Villaraigosa directed the LADOT to make moves and they did. Garcetti just sort of smiles around and leaves Reynolds twiddling thumbs.

neroden

The (non-)implementation of “Vision Zero” is being called “Zero Vision” in New York City, and the same seems to be the case in LA.

ubrayj02

Garcetti doesn’t have the donor cash and perhaps lacks the force of personality required to tear the heart out of the auto-centric Department of Public Works various bureaus and hold it aloft at the next CicLAvia before taking a bite out of it while livable streets advocates chant the name of the new lord of public works.

He doesn’t have the donor cash, and perhaps lacks the force of personality to twist councilmembers arms until near-breaking to get them to warmly embrace safer more livable streets.

In other words, he lacks donor cash and perhaps the force of personality required to kick ass and have a functioning agenda. Perhaps he doesn’t really want a functioning safe streets agenda. Maybe he hasn’t figured out the complicated mechanics required to smash the status quo of LA’s streets and build a more productive and safe network of streets.

Perhaps, he is a failure.

Perhaps.

ubrayj02

See, this is the problem: we spent the last decade kicking the crap out of the LADOT and ignored Public Works.

Public Works are an industrial-grade human meat grinder funded with hundreds of millions in tax payer dollars compared to the LADOT’s tiny “band of psychopaths” approach to killing people on our streets and sending disposable income spending outside the city limits.

The LADOT is a local warlord, collecting meter revenues and small grants and doing the bidding of local elites. The Department of Public Works is the mongol horde, converting entire civilizations back into pasture land and empty forests of ruins, building tents on top of a the population of a city of captive people and crushing them while they feast.

Try touching the ATM machine that is LA’s public works and you’re going to have some real trouble. It would take at least one deep pocketed billionaire and a lion in office with some actual courage.

Maybe Streetsblog shouldn’t hand out a report card, but a courage medallion?

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